Cole Scholars Program

The Oberlin Initiative in Electoral Politics (OIEP) was founded in 1994 as a non-partisan program to encourage the study of American campaigns and elections.

The centerpiece of the OIEP is the Cole Scholars program, which provides students with classroom instruction and field research opportunities. Selected Cole Scholars are supported financially and professionally in field placements for eight weeks during the summer. Recent participants have conducted field work on the campaigns of Bill de Blasio for mayor of New York, Kate Brown for governor of Oregon, Michelle Nunn for U.S. Senate, and Kay Hagan for U.S. Senate, while others have spent time with major consulting firms.

Past Cole Scholars maintain an online alumni network that connects friends of the OIEP with job and volunteer opportunities. The OIEP also brings in guest speakers and provides grants for alumni to take workshops todevelop their campaign skills.

Interested in becoming a Cole Scholar? Send inquiries to Michael Parkin at mparkin@oberlin.edu.